TAMPA, Fla. — Vincent Lecavalier heard about Steven Stamkos before he arrived in Tampa as an 18-year-old prodigy, the No. 1 overall pick in 2008.

How could he not?

The “Seen Stamkos” marketing slogan blanketed the area, popping up on everything from billboards to bumper stickers and T-shirts. It wasn’t quite the “Michael Jordan of hockey” label that former owner Art Williams unfairly thrust on Lecavalier as the No. 1 pick and savior a decade earlier, but there was still plenty of pressure on Stamkos, the pride of Markham, Ontario.

And when Lecavalier finally did see Stamkos shoot for the first time, the former Lightning captain knew he was witnessing something special. It was during an informal pre-training camp workout in late August of 2008, and Stamkos, the skinny rookie that Gary Roberts called “a wet noodle,” wound up for a slap shot from the spot that later became known as his “office,” the...